The present invention relates generally to the field of computer graphical display systems, and more particularly to a system and method for automatically configuring graphics pipelines by tracking a region of interest in a computer graphical display system.
Computer graphical display systems are commonly used for displaying graphical representations of two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional display device, such as a cathode ray tube.
In existing computer graphical display systems, a graphics application stored on a processor-based system, such as a computer, defines an object to be rendered by the computer graphical display system. In order to render the object, the graphics application transmits graphics data defining the object to a graphics pipeline, which may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The graphics pipeline via well-known techniques processes the graphics data received from the application and stores the graphics data in a frame buffer. The frame buffer stores the graphics data to define the image to be displayed by the display device. The frame buffer is used to store a set of data for each pixel displayed by the display device. Each set of data includes the color value of the corresponding pixel as well as any additional information needed to appropriately color or shade the identified pixel, such as transparency and depth values. Each set of data is correlated with the coordinate values that identify a pixel position on the display device. The frame buffer transmits the graphics data stored therein to the display device via a scanning process such that each line of pixels defining the image displayed by the display device is consecutively updated.
Multiple display devices may be used to display a single large image in which each display device displays a portion of the large image. In such an embodiment, the multiple display devices are treated as a single logical display device or screen in which different portions of the image may be displayed by the different display devices. Each of the multiple display devices may be associated with different computer systems and the multiple computer systems may be interconnected via a computer network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN). An X Window System is a standard for implementing window-based user interfaces in a networked computer environment and it may be desirable to utilize X Protocol in rendering graphics data in the networked computer system. A more detailed discussion of the X Window System and the X Protocol that defines it may be found in X Protocol Reference Manual Volume Zero (O""Riley and Associates 1990) by Adrian Nye.
Although it is possible to render and display two-dimensional and three-dimensional data in conventional computer graphical display systems, there exists limitations that restrict the performance and image quality exhibited by such systems. High quality images, particularly three-dimensional images, are typically defined by a large amount of graphics data and the speed at which conventional graphics pipelines can process the graphics data defining an object is limited. The above-referenced patent application, entitled xe2x80x9cSYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EFFICIENTLY RENDERING GRAPHICAL DATAxe2x80x9d describes a computer graphical display system and method for efficiently utilizing a plurality of graphics pipelines to render graphics data for a display device. The above-referenced patent application, entitled xe2x80x9cSYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONFIGURING GRAPHICS PIPELINES IN A COMPUTER GRAPHICAL DISPLAY SYSTEMxe2x80x9d describes a system and method for configuring graphics pipelines in a computer graphical display system.
In computer graphical display systems, if a region of interest, for example a window, is moved or resized and the user desires to keep the configuration of the graphics pipelines with regard to the new region of interest the same as the old region of interest, the user would have to re-configure the graphics pipelines based on a visual inspection of the new region of interest. Moreover, in such graphical display systems, the graphics pipelines may take different amounts of time to render the graphics data. Consequently, a graphics pipeline that takes longer to render the graphics data may effect the overall performance of the computer graphical display system.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method for automatically configuring a plurality of graphics pipelines in a computer graphical display system is disclosed. The method comprises receiving updated definitional information on a selected region of interest of a display device of the computer graphical display system in response to a change in definition of the selected region of interest and automatically configuring the plurality of graphics pipelines relative to the selected region of interest based at least in part on the updated definitional information.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a system for automatically configuring a plurality of graphics pipelines in a computer graphical display system is disclosed. The system comprises means for receiving updated definitional information on a selected region of interest of a display device of the computer graphical display system in response to a change in definition of the selected region of interest. The system also comprises means for automatically configuring the plurality of graphics pipelines relative to the selected region of interest based at least in part on the updated definitional information.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method for dynamic load-balancing of a plurality of graphics pipelines in a computer graphical display system is disclosed. The method comprises analyzing the time taken by each of the plurality of graphics pipelines to render their respective portions of a graphics image and automatically adjusting the respective portions of the graphics image of the plurality of graphics pipelines based at least in part on the analysis of the time taken by each of the plurality of graphics pipelines to render the respective portions of the graphics image.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a system for dynamic load-balancing of a plurality of graphics pipelines in a computer graphical display system is disclosed. The system comprises means for analyzing the time taken by each of the plurality of graphics pipelines to render their respective portions of a graphics image. The system also comprises means for automatically adjusting the respective portions of the graphics image of the plurality of graphics pipelines based at least in part on the analysis of the time taken by each of the plurality of graphics pipelines to render the respective portions of the graphics image.